Andromeda's Fall (Shadowcat Nation) (3 page)

Andie
was waiting when the knock at the door came. If A.J. thought a 5:00 a.m. start
time was going to throw her, he was sorely mistaken.

She
opened the door and stepped out into the hall with a nod.

A.J.’s
gaze traveled down the length of Andie’s body, from her long black hair pulled
back in a braid, to her feet encased in solid running shoes. Andie was tempted
to ask him if he liked the view but held it in. She was here to prove herself.
A.J. slowly brought his eyes back up to hers, and she could swear she saw
laughter in their depths, as if he knew what she’d just been thinking.

Andie
raised a single, haughty eyebrow. A. J. just grunted and then turned and headed
down the hallway. She followed him through an endless series of twists and
turns until they reached a door leading out of the compound building onto the
grounds. Andie hesitated before following him outside.

He
turned. “Problem?”

“Is
it secure?” she asked, glancing around the open area. She was thinking mainly
about satellite capabilities. She couldn’t have Kyle Carstairs showing up
before she’d proven herself here.

A.J.
didn’t even blink at the question. “Entirely secure.”

Andie
nodded and took that final step. He led her across lush grounds, past
well-tended gardens, and toward a gate in a high wall. As she passed through, a
training range came into view, military-style with various obstacles. On the
backside of the course was a large wooded area, and off to the left was a sparring
mat. All of it camouflaged.

Nice.
This was going to be fun.

A.J.
dug around inside a shed located closer to the obstacle course and pulled out a
clipboard, paper, and pen. “First let’s get some stats. Your name?”

“Andromeda
Reynolds.”

“Height?”

“Five
feet flat.”

“Weight?”

“One-ten.”

“Age?”

“Twenty-four.”

“Gender…
definitely female,” he muttered. She let it slide.

He
continued with the list of questions for a few more minutes, asking everything
from allergies to family history. Eventually he looked up from the clipboard.

Andie
put her hands on her hips. “What? No blood or urine tests?”

“Those
come later.”

Should’ve
seen that coming,
she thought.

He
put the clipboard down and crossed his arms. “As a Strategist for your previous
dare, I’m guessing you weren’t required to do any physical tests?” he asked.

“Strategist
was only part of my role. I’ve completed the full physical training,” she
assured him.

A
small frown beetled his brow. “What other roles did you occupy in the dare?”

Andie
compressed her lips and didn’t answer. A.J. sighed. “If you want to have a hope
of getting in front of the Alpha, you’ve got to convince me first. And you’ll
have to trust me with information to do that, sugar.”

Andie
gritted her teeth. She hated it when men called her lame terms of endearment
while patronizing the hell out of her. “I get that. But let’s see how the
initial tests go before I start spilling my guts. You may not want to keep me
around, Artie.”

“It’s
A.J., definitely
not
Artie.”

“Yeah,
well it’s Andie, definitely
not
sugar.”

A.J.’s
lips twitched as he took in the stubborn tilt to her chin. He looked as though he
was about to argue with her when he looked into her eyes and stared for a long
moment. Then he blinked and looked away, breaking the spell.

He
nodded. “All right, Andromeda. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

“It’s
Andie.” She glanced at him, but his face was a blank slate. She glanced around.
“Is anyone else in on these tests?”

A.J.
shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll bring in other folks if I feel you’re worth it.”

“Hmm.
Well then, bring it on, buster.”

“We’ll
start with basic physical tests. I want to see how far you can run. Don’t worry
about speed today. I’m testing stamina. Just go as long as you can.”

Andie
hid a secret smile. “In which form?”

“Whichever
you wish.” He pointed to the wooded area. “You’ll find a path to the left that
gives you about a ten mile loop. I’ll follow. Go until you can’t keep going.”

“Do
you have a camelback or some kind of pack for water?” she asked.

A.J.
raised his eyebrows. “The trail follows a river much of the way. You should be
able to drink from that at a couple of different spots.”

“I
thought you didn’t want me to stop running.”

He
gave her a look that clearly questioned her intelligence. “I’ll allow a drink
when you need it.”

“Okay,
then.” Andie cheerfully took off at a slow jog. She swore she heard a chuckle
but dismissed it when A.J. immediately fell in line behind her.

Hope
you can keep up hot shot,
she thought.

They
said nothing at first. Just ran. Andie slowly increased the pace until she
found her stride and settled in. Cougars weren’t natural distance runners,
despite their wide ranges of territory. They were better sprinters, and in her
cat form, she was very fast. But unlike many of her shifter brethren, her human
body was built to run for distance. Though she was tiny, she had long,
powerfully muscled legs. Exercise had always been an escape for her. She could
lose herself in her dreams or issues or whatever, and it was always when she
did her best thinking.

Granted,
having A.J. right behind her was slightly different. She felt a little
self-conscious at first. She glanced back a couple of times, only to receive a
questioning look in the form of an arrogantly raised eyebrow or a tilted head, as
if he was just waiting for her to give in and admit defeat. But three or four
miles in, she hit that zone where her body took over and just went on autopilot.
She tuned him out and enjoyed the feeling of freedom running gave her. The
steady sound of their feet on the trail matched the cadence of her breathing
and soon became the only noise she heard.

As
they wrapped up the first ten-mile lap, A.J. asked, “Do you run a lot?”

She
gave a nonchalant shrug. “I usually do at least five to ten miles a day, more
on Saturdays.”

A.J.
said nothing, and they kept going. Almost four hours later, they were well into
their third lap when he finally asked, “How much exactly do you mean by ‘more
on Saturdays’?”

Andie
grinned, slightly impressed that he’d been able to hang with her so easily.
Most other cougar shifters couldn’t. “When I’m training hard, it’s a good ways.
I run marathons and some shorter ultras for fun. My longest was seventy-five
miles. But that was several years ago, and I haven’t been training lately. I
could probably only do another lap or two, but that’s about it.”

“You
don’t think you could have shared that fact
before
we started?”

She
glanced back over her shoulder at him. “Would you have believed me?”

He
pulled up, indicating that she should stop, so she slowed down to walk beside
him. “Probably not,” he conceded. “But you’ve made your point.”

“Have
I?” she asked, not convinced.

“Yes.
Don’t underestimate you. Point made.”

Andie
wasn’t so sure he’d really learned that lesson. But he would eventually, so she
let it drop. “Are we done for today?”

“With
the physical test… yeah. We’ll hit the obstacle course another day. But I’d
like to test the knowledge you claim to have of Carstairs this afternoon.”

“If
I give you that information now, you could just kick me out on my tail. It’s my
only leverage with you.”

“You’re
going to have to learn to trust me, Andie.” Something suddenly shifted in his
eyes and his gaze turned intense.

Andie
felt her heart pick up speed in response, and then tensed in irritation. She
did
not
need this complication right now. The only way she would ever be
completely safe was if she got a cougar more powerful than Kyle or Walter
Carstairs to marry her. And Jaxon Keller was the only cougar she knew of who
fit the bill. Joining his dare would only lend her so much protection. So as
much as she wanted to wrap around A.J. and rub all over him right now, she
couldn’t act on that impulse. Ever. She forced herself to look away.

“I’ll
walk you back to Hannah’s to shower first,” he said.

She
glanced back at him and wrinkled her nose. “Are you implying I stink?”

A.J.
grinned down at her. “No, ma’am. I’m saying that I do.”

“Arthur
Jaxon Keller the Third!” Hannah yelled.

Jaxon
winced and looked up from his desk. His sister was standing in the doorway to
his office, arms crossed over her chest and fire raging in the depths of her
brown eyes. He’d wondered when she’d confront him. He’d made a quick call to
her last night only to warn her to call him A.J. in front of the girl he was
bringing by and under no circumstances to reveal that he was the Alpha or her
brother.

Jaxon
replaced the book he’d been leafing through on the shelf. Then he leaned
against his desk and crossed his feet nonchalantly. “Yes?”

She
gave him a look, walked in, and closed the door behind her with a snap. “Are
you going to clue me in about what’s going on with Andie?”

He
shrugged. “She’s asked for asylum and I’m testing her out.”

“You
already told me that when you dropped her off. She asked to talk to Jaxon
Keller.”

“Uh
huh.”

“She
doesn’t know you’re the person she’s looking for,” she pointed out.

“Correct.”

“Why
did you tell her your name was A.J.?”

“I’m
often called A.J.”

“Only
by your Protectors and Commanders. And if she asked for the Alpha, why not tell
her she’d found him?”

“Because
it’s easier to test her out and get real responses if she’s not pandering to
the Alpha of the dare.” He didn’t add that he had other reasons. The Seer’s
warnings, though ten years old, kept him from saying more. Besides, he had the oddest
urge to get to know Andromeda Reynolds on a different level, as himself rather
than the Alpha. The impulse was so unlike him, Hannah would probably pass out
from shock.

“This
is not the time for games. She’s in real danger,” Hannah insisted.

That
got his attention. Jaxon stood up, suddenly every inch the Alpha he was. No one
messed with members of his dare. Granted, Andie wasn’t technically part of his
dare. But she would be. That he already knew, not that he’d tell Hannah or
Andie that just yet.

“What
sort of danger? What did she tell you?”

Hannah
held up her hands. “Easy, Jax. She didn’t tell you?”

He
shook his head. “She’s only asked for asylum so far. She came in pretty beat
up. At first I thought she’d been thrown out of her own dare. But then I saw
the marks on the back of her neck which make me think that she ran.”

Someone
had tried to mate her by force. He was absolutely sure of it. But had they
succeeded? The sudden rage that boiled through him at the thought made him want
to go out and beat on something. Preferably on the jerk who’d hurt her. The
same feeling had hit him last night when he’d first seen the marks. He’d had to
use every ounce of his legendary control not to ask her about it point-blank,
or worse, slam his fist into the wall like a tool.

Hannah
glared at him. “She told me in confidence. You’ll have to earn her trust.”

He
forced his shoulders to lower. “Yeah. I’m working on that.”

“It
would probably help if you told her who you really are,” she said dryly.

He
ignored that. “She’s a skittish little thing. I’m surprised she confided in
you.”

“Maybe
I treated her as though she was welcome in this dare,” Hannah pointed out. He
didn’t miss the accusing note in her voice.

“I
would test every cougar who came from another dare – particularly from Carstairs
– the same way. It’s hard enough leading animals who aren’t naturally prone to
living in groups. I can’t have another dare potentially threatening us from
within.”

Hannah
sat down, her anger burned out. “I know you’re right. But I’m telling you we
can trust her.”

Jaxon
leaned back against the desk again. “Why do you say that? What do you know?”

Hannah
took a deep breath and then shook her head. “I’ll tell her what I’m telling
you. I’m not getting in the middle of this. You two need to figure out how to
trust each other.” She poked him in the chest with her finger. “And to be
honest with each other.” She stood and walked to the door. “Sooner rather than
later, Jaxon,” she said, and then she left the room.

Jaxon
stayed where he was for a while, thinking through his sister’s advice. He
agreed with her that he couldn’t let the deception go on too long. It was true
that he wanted to get to know Andie as a man first, rather than as the Alpha. But
more than that, one big thing was holding him back… the Seer’s warning.

*****

Andie
stepped out of the shower, wrapped up snuggly in a towel, and discovered that
Hannah had returned to their room. She was propped up on her bed, her computer
open on her lap.

Hannah
smiled. “How’d the first day of tests go?”

Andie
couldn’t hide her smirk. “He tried to see how long I could run.”

Hannah
chuckled. “I assume you corrected that mistake.”

“Mmmm…
after about four hours of doing laps.”

Hannah
laughed even harder. “A.J. is in really good shape, but he hates running.”

Andie
rooted around in Hannah’s drawer. Her new roomie was lending her clothes since
Andie had shown up with only what she was wearing. Luckily they were the same
size.

She
sniggered. “He didn’t mention that tidbit. And he was definitely able to hang.”

“So
are you free the rest of the day?” Hannah asked.

Andie
shook her head. “He wants to pick my brain on Carstairs and strategies.” Worry
clouded her eyes.

“Take
my advice and trust A.J. Tell him anything you’d tell Jaxon.”

Andie
pulled her shirt over her head as she thought that through. Seemed like an odd
comment. A suspicion she was already entertaining picked at her. “There are
some things that I’d only feel comfortable sharing with the Alpha.”

Hannah
shook her head and muttered something unintelligible. “You trust me, right?”
she asked.

“Of
course.”

“Then
if I tell you to put your confidence in A.J., believe it. Anything you divulge
to him will be shared with Jaxon.” Glancing at her watch, she added, “Oops.
I’ve got to get to my meeting.” Without another word Hannah hopped up and left.

Andie
silently finished getting dressed as she thought about her friend’s advice.
Growing up in the Carstairs Dare had not made her a particularly trusting
person. The dares had been around only about thirty years. Her kind were still
figuring out how it worked, and some dares were severely dysfunctional. But if
Hannah said she could trust A.J., then she had to believe that.

A loud
knock sounded just as she finished drying her long hair. With no time to braid
it or put on makeup, Andie shrugged and headed to the door. When she opened it,
she was greeted by an eyeful of muscled man as A.J. leaned against the wall.
She moved her gaze up to his face, flustered at the heat in his eyes. He was
staring at her loose hair that hung in shining waves almost to her waist. Then
he blinked and the heat was gone, replaced by complete indifference. It
happened so fast, Andie wasn’t quite sure she’d really seen what she thought
she had.

“Ready?”
he asked in a neutral voice.

She
nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

Neither
of them said a word as they moved through the corridors. Eventually, they
reached what looked to be a large, comfortably functional conference room with
a long table made interesting by the fact that it was created from natural pine
logs. Slate blue walls were covered by a combination of white boards, a projection
screen, and multiple TVs. Andie hesitated only a fraction of a second when she
realized there were four other men already seated inside. It didn’t take a moment’s
glance to realize who they likely were. Andie pulled her shoulders back.

“Andie
Reynolds, I’d like to introduce you to the Alpha’s Protectors and Commanders.”
Going around the table, A.J. introduced them in turn. The men were all built
similarly – tall, broad shouldered, muscled. Andie mentally tagged them with
the small differences. The two Protectors, Dylan and William, were
Blondie
and
Stone Jaw
respectively. The Commanders, Pete and Charlie, were
Scar
Face
and
Flirty
. According to Hannah, Nick Jensen, the Beta and Hannah’s
husband, was out on a diplomatic mission.

None
of them stood up or offered to shake her hand, but each gave her a small nod of
acknowledgement. It didn’t bother Andie. Respect and trust had to be earned in
a cougar dare, especially with the shifters in these particular roles.
Protectors were assigned to keep the Alpha and Beta cougars safe at all times,
similar to the President’s Secret Service. Only here, they tended to also be
close friends and advisors. Commanders were the equivalents of the military generals
in dare. A vital role given that the purpose of creating the dares of the
Shadowcat Nation in the first place was protecting cougar shifters. They were
in a perpetual war with other types of shifters. The ones who moved in packs at
least.

Andie
looked at A.J. “Are you a Protector too?”

He
glanced around the room with a small smile. “I keep the Alpha safe.”

Andie’s
internal radar went off. He was hiding something from her, and the others were
in on it. Hannah had said to put her confidence in him, but he clearly didn’t
trust her. She supposed this was to be expected. She was a strange cougar from
a dare that had attacked the Alpha’s sister and his Beta, after all. Trust had
to start somewhere.

“They’re
here to help me question you on the Carstairs dare,” A.J. continued.

“I
figured that out for myself,” she murmured. Without waiting to be asked, she
grabbed a chair and sat down. “Fire away, gentleman.”